Kings and Traitors
by Merle
Summary: ~CHAPTER 11 IS UP!!~Van/Hitomi pairing -- Hitomi goes back after hearing a weird prophecy. Van befriends a traveler but soon finds out he's a traitor with an evil plot to turn Gaia to darkness. Find out more by READING (and reviewing!! ^__^)
1. The Prophecy

# Kings and Traitors

AN: This is my first EVER attempt at writing a fan fiction, so please, PLEASE, review!! I really want to know what you think!

Also, the story takes place after the end of the series.

Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne, nor am I making any profit whatsoever off this story.

~~~

After returning from Gaia, Hitomi slowly headed home. As she turned the corner to her house, she saw Amano, Yukari, and her mother talking. 'Oh, this is just great. I really don't feel like talking to them so soon. Maybe if I turn around now, they won't notice me,' Hitomi thought.

Too late.

"Oh my—Hitomi!?!? Is it really you!?" screamed Yukari.

"Hitomi!! Where have you been?! We've missed you so much!!!"

"What happened, Hitomi?! Are you okay?"

As everyone ran up to Hitomi, she simply walked past them and into the house without saying a word.

"Hitomi…," whispered Amano

"What? How could she just walk away like that?! With all the worrying we've done for we at least deserve an explanation!! She's been gone for a month and she won't even tell us what happened?!" screamed an outraged Yukari.

"Give her time," said Mrs. Kanzaki. "It seems she's been through a lot. She'll tell us when she's ready." 

"But…," Yukari sighed in defeat. "Okay Mrs. Kanzaki. I _am_ her friend, so I should have been more understanding I guess. But I was worried!"

"We all were, Yukari. At least she's back now."

~~~

(In Hitomi's room)

'I'm back now. I wanted to be back home for so long, so why am I sad? Shouldn't I be outside with my friends and family instead of in my room thinking of…him…? Did I make the right decision? Should I have come back? Of course! This is my home! My family and my friends are all here! This is where I belong! But what about Van……do I love him? Is that why I'm so sad? But does he love me back? I wish I knew…' 

~~~

(Gaia)

'Why did I let her leave?'

~~~Four Months Later~~~

After Hitomi got back, she became somewhat of an empty shell. Not really living life, just…there. Her friends and family were worried about her, but every time they tried to find out what was wrong, Hitomi just pushed them further away. They soon decided that she needed to work out her problems on her own. They could only hope she wouldn't do anything drastic in the mean time. 

~~~

After Hitomi left, he became somewhat of an empty shell. Not really living life, just…there. His advisors kept telling him that as Fanelia's king, it was his duty to get over her and get on with his life so he could be a better leader for their country. 'But how can I get on with my life…She _was_ my life.'

Merle was constantly trying to cheer Van up. But she knew that the only person who could get Van to be his old self again was Hitomi…and she was gone. It broke Merle's heart to see Van so sad…so empty, and to know that there was nothing she could do about it. The only time he showed any life in him at all now was when he would glance up at the Mystic Moon every night. 'Oh, Hitomi, I wish you were here. We all really miss you.'

~~~

As Van was taking his daily ride through the Fanelian valleys, he heard a noise coming from the brush. He quickly dismounted and drew his sword. As he approached the bushes, he saw what was making the noise. It was a boy about his age, with blond hair and a little taller than Van, badly injured and nearly unconscious. He quickly picked up the boy and took him back to Fanelia on his horse. 

After the boy got some serious medical attention, Van went in to see him. Just then he began to regain consciousness.

"Are you the one who saved me?" the boy said weakly.

"Yeah, I guess. It was nothing really. Don't worry about it. My name's Van."

"K-king Van of Fanelia? You are truly as great as the legends say. I thank you with all my heart, your majesty. And my name is Erebos."

Van blushed. "Don't worry, Erebos, it was no problem. Really. And you can call me Van. By the way, what happened to you? You were pretty beat up when I found you."

"I-I was traveling. I got attacked by bandits. I thought I could handle them, but I guess I'm not as good a swordsman as I thought I was," Erebos said sadly.

"Hey, maybe when you're feeling better we can spar. I could probably teach you a few tricks."

"R-really your majesty?"

"Only if you call me Van."

"Okay, Van." Erebos replied grinning.

~~~

Merle stood by the tree watching the two spar. It had been a few weeks and thanks to Van's help, Erebos's skill had greatly improved. The two had become the best of friends, and when Van was around him, it seemed that the young king was finally able to act his age and forget the burdens of being king…and, sometimes, for a little while, forget that Hitomi was gone.

Merle sighed. 

"Hey, Merle, what's wrong?" asked Erebos. "You seem sad. That's not like you at all."

"Huh? No, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"'Bout what?" asked Van.

"Nothing."

"I'll bet it's that cat-boy she has a crush on. What was his name…," taunted Erebos.

"I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON TIGER!!!" Merle shouted.

"By the looks of your face, I'd say you're lying. You're blushing so bad you're face is darker than your hair," said Van, laughing.

"He's got you there, Merle," laughed Erebos, giving Van a high five.

"Humph," Merle pouted and ran off.

"Sheesh, we were only joking."

~~~

Hitomi got into bed. She felt it was her only sanctuary from the world around her. Where she could dream of what could have been, what should have been if only she had told him. Sometimes she saw him in her dreams. They talked and she told him how much she missed him, and he told her that he loved her. But she knew it wasn't real. She knew it was just her sub-conscious showing her what she wanted to see, telling her what she wanted to hear. And that knowledge only served to make her sadder.

~*~*~*Hitomi's Dream*~*~*~

"W-where am I?"

Silence.

"It's so cold here…why is it so cold?"

A whisper echoes through the nothingness.

"_Beware the traitor…"_

_ _

"Huh? Who's there? Traitor? I don't understand…"

## "Beware the traitor lest the dragon be slayed and the two worlds fall to darkness…"

"Huh? Is this a vision? What traitor? Dragon?? Is Van in danger?! What am I supposed to do?!?!"

Silence.

"Answer me!!!!" 

"Beware the traitor…only the foreigner can save the Heart Stone from darkness and rescue the angel…"

"What? What am I supposed to do?!? Tell me!!!! No!! Wait, don't go!! I don't understand!!!"

~~~

Hitomi woke up in a cold sweat.

~~~

Meanwhile on Gaia…

A dark figure is in Van's room, searching madly for something.

"Where is it! I know it's here somewhere. I should probably apologize to my minions after this, no wonder they couldn't steal it! This kid's such a slob you can't find anything!"

Suddenly, the figure spun around. Someone was coming.

~~~

Merle yawned as she slowly slunk down the hallway to Van's room. She had heard noises. She considered going to get Van in case it was a robber in his room, but she didn't want to ruin his and Erebos's campout, so she decided to check it out on her own. Besides, it was probably just a mouse or something, and she could use a midnight snack.

She turned the corner to Van's room when she saw the door ajar. 

"Where is it! I know it's here somewhere. I should probably apologize to my minions after this, no wonder they couldn't steal it! This kid's such a slob you can't find anything!" she heard a voice mumble…a strangely familiar voice.

She slowly pushed the door open out of curiosity and couldn't believe what she saw.

"Erebos? What are you doing here—" was all she could manage before falling into unconsciousness.

So, what did you think? Should I continue? Was it horrible? Should I give up writing all together? Please review!!!!!

Thanx,

Merle

Vanz_cat@yahoo.com


	2. La Morte

# Kings and Traitors ~Chapter 2

AN: k, umm, like I said, I'm kinda making this up as I go along, so if you have any requests as to which direction the story should go, please feel free to tell me. It's not like I already have all the chapters written and ready to post or something. 

Lil tidbit of info: Erebos is the name of a Greek god of darkness. =Þ

Also, to those that took the time to review my story: I really appreciate it. Thank you. 

K, with that said, on with the story! ^^

Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne

~~~

Van suddenly awoke, clutching the pendant Hitomi gave him, cold sweat running down his face.

'Hitomi's in trouble! I can feel it! Something's not right…I've got to go to her!!'

He looked up at the mystic moon hanging in the sky, brighter than ever.

'But how…'

~~~

"Let me go!! I can't believe you!!! I trusted you, you bastard!!!!"

"Now, now, Merle, calm down. After all the work I did to get you to trust me, do you really think I'd let you go tell Van? Foolish cat."

"Van will come looking for me. And when he finds me, he's going to be really mad. He won't let you get away with this!"

"_If_ he finds you, Merle. If."

Merle growled at him through her cage bars. Erebos merely laughed wickedly.

~~~

Hitomi couldn't fall back to sleep after her dream. She knew it meant trouble, but what was she supposed to do about it? Van had her pendant, so she couldn't get back to Gaia. But she had to warn Van somehow! 

She decided to consult her Tarot cards. Maybe then the prophecy would make more sense.

She flipped over the top card. 

"Ace of Serpents? The dragon…Van maybe?"

She flipped over the next card and froze.

"La Morte…death…."

The card fluttered to the ground from her limp fingers.

~*~*~*Hitomi's Vision*~*~*~

"Where am I? Gaia…..?"

Hitomi stood in the middle of an empty field, nothing but dead grass could be seen for miles. Burnt grass. The sky was completely covered by black clouds…so thick you couldn't even tell if it was night or day. An ice-cold breeze suddenly swept past her. She shivered.

Suddenly something swept below the clouds. It was Escaflowne's dragon form! And it was being pursued by…a giant black hawk? No, it was some sort of black cloud, so black it seemed to swallow the light from everything around it. Just looking at it gave her the chills. 

Suddenly it shot a spear of energy at Escaflowne. Van swerved, trying to dodge it…just then Hitomi saw another black hawk-cloud charging at Van. It shot a spear at him, too, so fast he had no chance of dodging it.

"NOO!! Van, behind you!! VAN!!!" Hitomi screamed, not sure of whether or not the Van in her vision could hear her or not.

Hitomi watched in horror as a spear pierced through Van's chest with such force it caused his wings to erupt from his back. 

An evil laugh came from inside one of the hawks.

"So we've finally caught the little Draconian. Master shall be very pleased."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the "heart" of Escaflowne slow, then stop beating entirely. The light resonating from the energist dimmed and vanished completely.

"NOOOOOO!!!!! VAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hitomi screamed through tears. 

All of the sudden, the ground beneath her split and she fell…

~*~*~*End of Hitomi's Vision*~*~*~

"Hitomi! Hitomi!! Snap out of it!! Please!!! Wake up!!" Yukari screamed.

"Huh…? Yukari? What…what happened? Why are you here? What time is it?" Hitomi mumbled slowly as she tried to sit up.

"Sheesh, Hitomi. It's ten in the morning. I came over to see you and I heard you scream and…," Yukari said, cut off by her tears.

"Why are you crying, Yukari?"

"Because I was worried, stupid! I am your best friend, you know!" Yukari said half-heartedly, still fighting back tears. 

"We're all worried about you, you know," she said softly, turning to look at the ground, not wanting to face Hitomi. "W-why can't you tell us, Hitomi? Why can't you tell us what happened? We're your friends, Hitomi, please, _I'm_ your friend….please trust me…," Yukari managed to say through sobs.

"Yukari I…you wouldn't believe me," Hitomi said flatly.

"Try me."

~~~

'I've got to get back to her! This _has_ to work!!'

Van held the pendent in the air above his head.

"I wish I was on the mystic moon! With Hitomi!!" He screamed.

AN: So, how do you like it? Too long? Too short? Too stupid? Too fast? All of the above? Please tell me!!! REVIEW!! =Þ

Merle

Vanz_cat@yahoo.com

_ _


	3. The Reunion

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 3

## Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne

~~~

"I wish I was on the mystic moon! With Hitomi!!" Van screamed. A blue light surrounded him suddenly and carried him away through the stars.

Erebos watched from the shadows. "So, he had the Heart Stone all along…and it seems he knows how to use it. It doesn't matter, though, just a minor set back, that's all."

"Erebos! Erebos!! Is that you?" called the cat boy running towards him.

"What is it, Tiger?" asked Erebos, faking concern.

"It's Merle!!…*pant*…She's gone!!…*gasp*…..I can't find her anywhere!!!" said Tiger while trying to catch his breath.

"Well she's got to be around here somewhere! How about we split up and look for her?"

"OK, if you say so, Erebos. I'll look around the castle, k? We can meet back here in an hour or so."

"Yeah, sure." Said Erebos as he watched Tiger run off towards the castle. Once he was out of earshot, Erebos muttered, "No matter how hard you look, you'll never find her. Not unless you're a psychic or something!" he laughed.

~~~

"Hitomi, you really expect me to believe that?!" said Yukari. "Don't you trust me enough to tell me what happened?!?!"

"That _is _the truth, Yukari! I knew you wouldn't believe me!"

Hitomi looked around. They had somehow wandered to the school track while walking as Hitomi told Yukari her story. 'It must be fate or something,' thought Hitomi. 'I wish Van were here…to take me back to Gaia, or at least so I could warn him about my vision.

There was a sudden flash of blue light in the distance.

~~~

Van was thankful as he finally felt his feet touch solid ground again. He was still a little queasy, though. He then looked around and panic overcame him. 'Where am I? Oh no! What if the beam of light took me to another part of the moon? It could take me years to find Hitomi! What am I gonna do?!'

He looked around closer and found that perhaps he did vaguely recognize his surroundings. 'I'm not sure, but I think this is where I fought the dragon!'

He quickly followed the stone arches down the steps and out of the forest.

'I hope I'm right'

~~~

Hitomi saw the pillar of light land somewhere near the shrine. "Oh my gosh! What if it's Van?" was all she said before she started sprinting towards the shrine. 

She and Van met halfway.

"Van!!"

"….Hitomi?!"

"Oh Van!! I've missed you so much!! I have so much to tell you!! And I had another vision!! I think Gaia's in trouble again! And I think you might be in danger!! I had this dream and there was this creepy voice and--"

"Hey! It's okay! Calm down Hitomi! I missed you, too, k? I came because I thought that if Gaia was in trouble, we'd need you, so maybe, you know…umm…if you want to come back…then…umm…"

"I'd love to come back with you, Van! You know you can't win a war without me!" Hitomi teased.

They both hugged and Hitomi felt tears of happiness in her eyes.

The whole time, Yukari was standing to the side with her mouth hanging open in shock.

Van finally noticed her.

"Hey, you're that friend of Hitomi's, right?"

Yukari could merely nod.

"Umm…Yukari, as you've probably guessed, this is Van. Van, this is Yukari." 

"H-hi," Yukari stuttered.

"Is she always like that?" asked Van.

Before Hitomi could answer, the beam of blue light suddenly swallowed them and transported them back to Gaia.

AN: Sorry, that seemed kinda short. I'll write more soon if you guys want. PLEASE REVIEW!!

Also, like I said before, I'm making this up as I go along, so if you have any ideas/suggestions/requests for which way you want the story to go, feel free to tell me in the review or by e-mail.

Thanx 4 reading (and reviewing!** ***hinthint!)

Merle

Vanz_cat@yahoo.com 


	4. The Lost Kitten

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 4

AN: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS!! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!! ^__^

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne

Van slowly got up after being dropped quite roughly while landing on Gaia. He looked around in the moonlight and saw Hitomi.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just_ fine_!" Hitomi muttered while rubbing her backside. "I _ENJOY_ being dropped on my butt after flying through space in a beam of light just to get to Gaia so I can attempt to stop another war while risking my life every five minutes while _you_ go almost getting yourself every time I turn my backand-**_ Yukari?!?"_**

**_ _**

"Huh? Oww….where am I….?"

Yukari was standing up slowly after landing in a patch of tall grass. Hitomi hadn't noticed her before now, and judging by the look on Van's face, he hadn't either.

"Y-Yukari?!" Hitomi stuttered, wondering why and how the pendant had brought her along with them back to Gaia.

"Yeah? Hitomi…where are we…..AHHHH!!!"

"What?! What is it?!" yelled Van, who was already jumpy after Yukari's "surprise".

"T-t-t-t-the Earth!!" Yukari said as she pointed a shaking finger to the Mystic Moon.

"Yes, Yukari," said Hitomi, trying her best to be understanding. "We're on Gaia now. What I told you was true. Please believe me."

"B-but I-I was just on Earth…and that guy…that dragon…before…the light…YOU'RE AN AILEN?!"

"…" 

"Umm…Yukari, maybe we should talk…"

~~~

Tiger was still searching the castle grounds when he saw a blue column of light appear in the sky.

"That must be Van! Maybe he can help find Merle!! It looked like the light landed somewhere in the middle of Dragon Valley…not that far away…I'd better hurry. Merle could be in trouble! Every second counts!!"

~~~

Erebos glanced out the window and saw a blue pillar of light, just like the one Van left in. 

"Ah, so the king finally returns. Tonight is the night. I shall soon regain what should have been mine to begin with. With the power of the Heart Stone I shall soon turn the Gaia to darkness. Then I alone shall have the power to rule the universe!!! Mwahahahahaha!!!!" [AN: Sorry, I just had to add at least one evil laugh =Þ] 

At the sound of his laugh, full of the purest of evils, Merle's fur stood on end and the atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed a lot colder.

'Van, where are you? I'm scared…'

~~~

As Van, Hitomi, and Yukari slowly trudged back to Fanelia, Hitomi noticed that Yukari was still looking at Van strangely and keeping her distance. 'She probably still thinks of him as an alien…,' thought Hitomi.

**_ _**

Without warning, there was a loud rustling in the bushes. Van quickly drew his sword, making Yukari jump back even further.

"Who's there?!" yelled Van.

"It's me, Tiger!!" said the cat-boy as he jumped out of the bushes. "You weren't really gonna slice me with that, were you??" he asked uneasily.

"Depends how long it took you to answer me."

Yukari stepped back another two feet, making sure she was out of reach of Van's sword…just in case…

"What's wrong, Tiger?" asked Van.

"Merle's gone!! Me and Erebos can't find her anywhere!!"

"What?" shouted Hitomi. 'What if my vision is already coming true?…did the darkness already get Merle?'

"Who are you?" Tiger asked uneasily.

"Whoa, be nice Tiger. This is Hitomi. She's come to help…we think Gaia might be in danger again," said Van.

"Hitomi?! _THE _Hitomi?? From the Mystic Moon? Who helped save all of Gaia from Zaibach?!" squeaked Tiger.

Hitomi blushed. "Uhh…yeah, that's me I guess…"

Yukari whimpered.

Hitomi turned around to see what was wrong with her friend.

"C-c-c-c-c-cat p-p-p-person!!"

"You know," interrupted Van, "We really should be trying to find Merle. She could be in trouble."

"Yeah, but I've already searched the whole castle!! She's not there!!"

"No. She isn't." Said a cold voice as a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Van reached for his sword but just then a cloud covering the moons parted.

"…Erebos?"

"Sorry to surprise you, Van," said Erebos, his tone much lighter and friendlier. "I've been searching for Merle ever since Tiger told me she had disappeared. She's not in the castle, or on any of the grounds nearby. Trust me."

"K, Erebos, if you say so. First thing tomorrow, then, we'd better start a search party for the fields and town. It's to dark now, and I'm sure some of us could use some sleep." Said Van, glancing at Tiger, who looked exhausted from searching for Merle all day.

"Fine by me," said Tiger gratefully.

"By the way, Van, who are these two?" asked Erebos, nodding to Hitomi and Yukari.

"This is Hitomi and her friend Yukari of the Mystic Moon."

'Hmm…,' thought Erebos. 'Seeing as it is not just Van and I as I had anticipated, perhaps I should postpone my plan for a better time. But, delay or not, it shall be I who has the Heart Stone in the end.'

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you!" said Erebos with a forced grin. "Van, I'd better be going. I have some work to do. See ya tomorrow, ok?"

"K, sure Erebos. Goodnight."

As Erebos ran off towards the castle, a bad feeling nagged at Hitomi's sub-conscious. 'I don't trust him,' she thought.

AN: Ok, that one was a little bit longer. Did you like it? I'd love to know what you think so please review. It seems to me the plot's moving a little slow, so if you agree I'm probably going to speed it up a little. Unless you like it at this pace. I don't mind either way, really. Also, I added some humor in this chapter (or at least me feeble attempts at humor when I'm half-asleep) please tell me if you like or dislike the change. 

Thank you for reading!!

Merle

Vanz_cat@yahoo.com


	5. The Memory

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 5

AN: THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO REVIEW!!! IT REALLY MEANS A LOT!!! ^________^

Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne. 

As they watched Erebos run off towards the castle, Tiger yawned.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed…I'll see you guys in the morning, k?" mumbled Tiger, who was obviously fighting just to keep his eyes open.

"Ok, Tiger. You get some sleep, we've got a full day ahead of us tomorrow. Hey, would you mind taking Yukari with you? It looks like she could use some rest, too," said Van.

"Sure, no prob!"

"Goodnight Tiger. It was nice meeting you," said Hitomi, bowing. 

"C'mon Yukari. Let's go!"

Yukari whimpered.

"K, bye!" Tiger yelled as he dragged Yukari off towards the castle.

"Van, we need to talk," said Hitomi seriously.

"We sure do!! It's been months! I've missed you so much!!" 

"No, Van. We need to talk about my vision…why I was sent back…about Gaia being in trouble…about the traitor that's supposed to lead to the deaths of us all."

"What do you mean by traitor?" asked Van.

"_Beware the traitor lest the dragon be slayed and the two worlds fall to darkness…"_

_ _

"Don't worry, Hitomi, there aren't any traitors around here!" said Van exasperatedly. 

"How long have you known Erebos?"

~~~

Merle desperately gnawed at the ropes holding her steel cage shut. Erebos was away and this would probably be her only chance. If she was going to escape, it had to be now. 

"I've GOT to get out of here!!" Merle growled through gritted teeth. 

Though she struggled hard, the ropes were so tough that she could soon taste blood in her mouth.

She spat the blood out on the floor and winced in pain.

"No! I'm not giving up! Vans in danger! I have to warn him about Erebos!!!"

"No, I don't think so, kitten," said Erebos in an icy voice as he slowly stepped into the room.

Merle growled as blood ran down her lip.

~~~

"What do you mean, Hitomi?! Erebos is my best friend!! How can you say that?!" Van yelled, outraged.

"Fine, we don't know it's Erebos yet, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for your sake,but I think we should at least do a little searching without him first, ok?"

"Erebos is my friend and he is trustworthy. We can search with him." Van said sternly.

"Van, please?! Just let me try to find Merle on my own! If we find that Erebos had nothing to do with it, then I'll apologize, but I got a really bad feeling from him and my hunches are always right!! Please, Van! Don't you trust me a little more than him?!"

"……ok, fine. We give it one try with the pendant. But when we don't find anything, I expect you to apologize."

Van reluctantly gave Hitomi her pendant. As her hand clasped it, it glowed dimly, once again in the possession of its original owner.

"Do you have any maps of Fanelia?"

"Yeah, just a sec…," Van said as he pulled out some maps from the inside lining of his sword's scabbard. 

"Here."

Hitomi looked through the pile until she found one with blueprints of Fanelia's castle.

"But Tiger and Erebos already checked the castle. She's not there."

"Trust me."

Hitomi closed her eyes and imagined Merle, the cute-yet-incredibly-annoying cat girl who had befriended he on her previous adventure. She heard Van gasp. She opened her eyes to see the pendant swinging over a room in the lowest level of the castle.

"That-that's the Black Dungeon!! No one's been in there for hundreds of years!! It's supposed to be cursed! Legend has it that a great evil enemy of Gaia was once imprisoned there. He was said to be a dark sorcerer! The day that he was supposed to be executed, they went in to get him and he killed himself, because he didn't want to die at the hands of his enemy. He promised to come back again when the Mystic Moon and Gaia aligned, to seek revenge on both worlds and to turn them to darkness. Since he died, that dungeon's been locked tight. They say it's cursed. Anyone who goes in there never comes back…"

"V-Van, do you by any chance know the name of the evil sorceorer?" Hitomi asked uneasily.

Van's face paled. "E-Erebos….."

~~~

AN: How was that? Did you like it? PLEASE REVIEW!!! ^__________^


	6. The Traitor

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 6

AN: …...there is no AN……

Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne.

"V-Van, do you by any chance know the name of the evil sorcerer?" Hitomi asked uneasily.

Van's face paled. "E-Erebos….."

'No! It can't be true!!' he thought. 'Erebos is my best friend! He's not evil!! I probably have the name wrong anyways…after all, I haven't heard the legend since I was four…Besides, I never remembered his name before! I was too young when I first heard the legend!! Yeah! That's it! The only reason I thought his name was Erebos all of the sudden was because Hitomi's been going on and on about how he's the traitor….Wait!! Why am I blaming Hitomi!! I should trust her more than Erebos, right? But he's my friend….what if Hitomi's right? Should we confront Erebos or should we play along till we find out more of what's going on?? But even if he is my friend, if he was the one who took Merle I can never forgive him-'

Van's thoughts were cut off when he finally realized Hitomi was calling his name and waving her hand in front of his face.

"Van! Van!! Answer me!!"

"Huh? What??"

"Van, I'm sorry…I know you trusted him…this must be really hard…"

"How would you know?! You're wrong, Hitomi!! Erebos isn't the sorcerer!! He's my friend!!" Van screamed in anguish.

"Van…"

Van looked away, his back to Hitomi, trying to hide the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Van…," Hitomi repeated. "Van…th-there's still a chance…that maybe…maybe it's not the same Erebos…but no matter who it is, he's got Merle and she could be in trouble. We have to save her…"

"You're right," said Van, suddenly turning around with a look of grim determination on his face. "Let's go. There's no time to loose."

Hitomi could only nod.

~~~

Tiger couldn't sleep, no matter how tired he was…he had a bad feeling. Merle was in serious danger. He had to find her…no matter what…

He slowly got up and once again wandered the halls, not even noticing that he had already searched these halls many times before…but this time it was different…his heart was leading him.

"Hang in there Merle…"

~~~

"You know, kitten…you're beginning to be quite troublesome…perhaps it would be best to simply get rid of you…," said Erebos in mock sweetness.

Merle growled.

"Do you want to die, kitten??" Erebos asked, his tone hardening.

Merle just glared at him.

Suddenly two figures appeared in the doorway.

"So it really is you, Erebos…I didn't want to believe it, but it is really you…," said Van.

"How did you find me?!" he asked, outraged.

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Hitomi, her voice filled with hatred.

"Van…help!" said Merle, her voice scratchy from screaming or crying or chewing the rope, or, worst of all Van feared, all of the above.

"Let her go," said Van, unsheathing his sword.

"You think you stand a chance against me?" asked Erebos, his voice not hiding his amusement at Van's challenge.

"I said let her go!" said Van as he lunged at Erebos.

A swordfight ensued and it was obvious to anyone Van was loosing.

"Van! Noo!" Hitomi screamed as Erebos's sword left a large gash in Van's left arm.

'We're not going to make it out of here,' Hitomi thought. 'We're going to die.'

~~~

As Tiger ran down the hallway aimlessly, he heard someone scream. He quickly retraced his steps and took a side passage to his left that seemed to lead down to some dungeons. 'I never knew Fanelia had any dungeons…,' he thought. 'This _must_ be where Merle is!'

As he turned a corner, he saw by the dim light of a few candles, Van and Erebos sparring. 'Why are they sparring? It's the middle of the night!'

But as he came closer, he could see that Van and Erebos were definitely _not_ sparring…no, the intensity of the battle, the looks on their faces…they were fighting to kill.

As he came closer still, he saw the rest of the room. Hitomi was standing in the corner, frozen in fear and…

"Merle!"

He quickly ran towards her cage and desperately began to untie the ropes holding her as Erebos dealt blow after blow to Van, Hitomi unable to even get close enough to pull Van back.

Without warning, there was a scream from the doorway. It was Yukari.

'Of course,' thought Tiger. 'I had her stay in the room right over this one! The noise must have woken her up! Now she was in danger, too'

Hitomi couldn't take much more…Van was dying…Merle -and now Tiger, too- were in danger…..then Yukari screamed. Now Yukari would be killed too…she had seen too much….they were all going to die…she couldn't take it much longer…she was going to die, but not without a fight.

"Van!!!!!!!" she screamed as she ran towards him, ignoring the flying of swords and the clashing of steel, she ran through it all, and as she ran, her pendant began to glow.

"No! Hitomi!! You'll be killed!!!!!!" screamed Tiger a he saw her running towards Van.

"Hitomi!!!!!!!" screamed Merle, her voice still scratchy. She was out of the cage and clinging to Tiger for dear life.

Yukari covered her eyes and shook her head. "No! This can't be happening!! It's just a dream! Just a bad dream!!"

'No,' thought Hitomi, 'This isn't a dream. This is real. We can't die. Not here. Not now. We have to get out of this alive, otherwise Gaia doesn't stand a chance…we have to live…'

The pendant glowed brighter than ever.

In a sudden flash of light, they were gone.

AN: Climax!!! You like? Then review!!! More to come soon! (hopefully) ^______^

Merle

Vanz_cat@yahoo.com


	7. Waking Up

Kings and Traitors: Chapter 7

AN: Sorry about the long wait, I was grounded x_xn e wayz, I'm back now, so without further adu (did I spell that right?) here's chapter 7.

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne.

~~~

Hitomi was the first to regain consciousness. Slowly, she tried to sit up.

"Owwww! Where am I?"

She carefully looked around as she held her head. She was in the middle of a forest somewhere. As she looked around, piece-by-piece, as if trying to remember a dream, the events of the previous night came back to her. 

"Where are the others?!"

She quickly stood up, and soon regretted it as she almost fell over.

"Owwwwww…."

She slowly walked over through the trees and soon came across an unconscious Merle, slightly injured, and still clutching to Tiger for dear life. Hitomi kneeled down and gently shook Merle's shoulder. 

"Hnnn? What? Where am I? Hitomi? What happened?"

"I think the pendant transported us here, away from Erebos. We're safe now. Let's go find the others, k?"

"Ok. You go look, I'll wake up Tiger."

"Alright."

So Hitomi set off into the forest, consulting her pendant first for direction. As she wandered through the forest, she began to worry more and more. What if the pendant hadn't been able to rescue all of them? What if something had happened to Van? She shivered as she remembered the large gash Erebos had left in Van's arm. She began to walk faster.

Finally she saw him. He was kneeling under a large tree clutching his arm. Apparently he had already regained consciousness. 

"Van!"

"Hitomi? You're ok!!" he said, standing up to greet her. This movement caused him to clutch his arm in pain. Hitomi looked and noticed fresh blood seeping through the wound.

"Van! Are you ok?!"

"I'll be fine, don't worry. It's just a little cut."

"Just a little cut?! More like a bloody gash! Oh, Van."

Hitomi took off her jacket and tore one of the sleeves into strips.

"This will have to do for now, I guess."

"Thanks Hitomi," Van said as she bandaged his arm.

"C'mon, let's go meet up with the others," she said when she finished.

~~~

"Tiger, wake up!!"

"Huh? What? Merle!! You're ok!"

"What'd you expect?" she snapped as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well I was worried!"

"…you were?"

Tiger blushed. "Yeah. When we couldn't find you, I thought that something bad would happen to you and…," Tiger trailed off.

Suddenly Hitomi and Van burst through the bushes.

"We're back," said Hitomi.

"So everyone's ok now, right?" asked Van.

"I'm not sure. You probably didn't notice Van, but Yukari had come into the room right before my pendant brought us here. That means she's probably in this forest somewhere, too. Hopefully," Hitomi added in a worried tone, afraid to think about what might have happened if the pendant had left her with Erebos.

"Yukari. You mean Hitomi's friend? I know her scent. I can help you find her," said Tiger.

"Let's get going, then."

Tiger sniffed the air then walked in circles a few times before choosing a direction.

"This way."

They followed, Van keeping up surprisingly well against two cat-people and a track star. Finally Tiger stopped by a tree.

"She's somewhere nearby. I'm not sure exactly where, there's too many smelly plants blocking her scent, but she's definitely near," Tiger said as he began to look through the brush. Merle and Hitomi joined him, but Van stood back and looked around. Then he looked up.

"Hitomi, look! In the tree!"

Lying in the highest branch of the giant tree was Yukari, still unconscious.

"Huh? Yukari!! How'd she get up there?"

"Apparently your pendant has pretty bad aim," Merle muttered.

Tiger walked around the tree looking for footholds.

"There's no way to get up. And the moss is to wet to use claws."

"Van, you're the only one who can get her down." 

Van looked at Hitomi, then at Merle. He nodded, and Merle walked over to Tiger.

"Umm…we need to talk…" 

Van took off his shirt and spread his wings. Tiger 'eep'-ed, but Merle hushed him. Van carefully glided up to Yukari's branch, dodging other branches in the process. He gently lifted her up and floated back down to the ground. Yukari began to stir. As Van landed and he set her on the ground, she opened her eyes and screamed. 

"Aaah! An angel! I'm DEAD?!?!"

Hitomi shook her head. 

"I've got a feeling this is going to be one _long_ adventure…"

AN:REVIEW PLEASE!!!^_________^

~~~I'm not writing the next chapter unless at least 5 people review~~~ 

…Why should I keep writing the story if no one else likes it? _I_ already know how it ends. 

Merle

vanz_cat@yahoo.com


	8. The Shadows

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 8

AN: O_OWow! Thanx for all the reviews!! ^______^I'm continuing!!! Don't worry!

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See?\ **/**

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~~~

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne.

~~~

"Aaaaauuuuggghhhhh!!! How could they have escaped?! It was that girl! I know it was that girl!! But how?!" Erebos raged as he stormed around the room, knocking items off shelves and destroying the chamber. Finally, after he ran out of things to destroy, he began to calm down. He took a deep breath then went over to a dark corner of the room. He placed his hand on the wall and chanted something under his breath. Green waves of magic flew from his hand and the wall opened into a doorway. As he entered, the wall closed behind him.

He was in a dark room that had a particularly fowl stench to it, as if something had died there and been left to rot, which probably was the case. The room was large and circular, and sloped downward toward the center slightly. In the middle of the room was a small pool, no more than four feet across, and filled withmurky green water.

As he approached the pool, the water began to swirl. He held his hand above the liquid and muttered something then asked, "How did the girl save them?" The water swirled faster, then suddenly became calm. On the surface, an image formed. It was Hitomi's pendant.

"The Heart Stone?! That girl is the one who possesses it? And she knows how to use it? Hmm, perhaps this will be more interesting than I originally thought…no matter, it will be mine in the end."

Erebos then reached into a leather pouch at his side and sprinkled a strange dust into the pool. "Mokoi, Skadi, I have a task for you. Awaken now!"

With that, a large explosion of smoke and steam came from the caldron. Erebos didn't even flinch. As the smoke cleared, two forms became visible. At first, they appeared to be giant crows, but they had no form. They were shadows, shadows that seemed to suck the light out of everything around them. Shadows that seemed vaguely familiar…

"Master, we are at your service. Name thy request, and it shall be done," hissed the one on the right in a voice as cold as steel.

"Find the king of Fanelia. There will be a girl with him. She is the one who possesses the Heart Stone. You may kill her, then bring the stone to me."

"What about the others? May we kill them too?" the second shadow hissed with an evil twinkle in its eye.

"Yes."

And with that, the birds took flight

~~~

Because of Yukari's constant begging, they had to stop to rest again. Hitomi used the time to check the bandage on Van's arm. The bleeding had stopped mostly, but it wasn't healing well. She was worried it would become infected.

They had been traveling for three days now, and Hitomi had a feeling that they were not 'out of the woods' yet, but literally and not. She knew Erebos was after them, she could feel it. And he was mad. 

~~~

Van winced as Hitomi tightened the bandage. 

She seemed distracted lately. He knew it had to do with Erebos, but he wasn't sure what exactly. He did know that Hitomi was on the brink of paranoia. She was constantly looking over her shoulder and was urging them to keep moving. The others may not have noticed, but Hitomi was getting dark circles under her eyes. Van didn't know whether she was missing sleep because of frightening visions or dreams caused by them, but whatever it was, he was hurt that Hitomi didn't feel she could tell him.

Another thing that worried him was that if Erebos _was_ after them, he couldn't fight. Escaflowne was still back in Fanelia, although he happened to have the energist with him still. At first, he doubted that he would need Escaflowne since, after the Great War, the use of guymelefs for fighting had been outlawed, but it was quite obvious now that Erebos wasn't worried about breaking the law. And even if Erebos didn't use guymelefs, Van couldn't fight him one-on-one, and the gash in his arm was proof of that.

A loud crash from behind him broke his chain of thought. He immediately stood in front of Hitomi and drew his sword. Tiger and Merle took up fighting positions as well, while Yukari hid behind everyone. 

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Tiger called.

A giant bird-shaped shadow emerged from the brush. No one noticed a second shadow coming at Hitomi from behind.

Tiger prepared to strike. He was about to lunge at the shadow-bird when he heard something.

Hitomi gasped. She went pale. She began to fall, but Van caught her. 

"Hitomi! Hitomi!! Are you ok? Hitomi!!!" Van shouted, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her as she gazed at him with a blank stare.

"No…darkness…*cough*….I can't breathe…," Hitomi whispered, her voice growing hoarse.

"Hitomi!! Hitomi! Speak to me!!" Van yelled, shaking her.

"…..darkness…so cold…I'm scared……*cough* Van! It's evil!…not human!…Run!!…..," she said, slowly turning her eyes toward him, but not focusing, still staring blankly, almost staring through him.

"Hitomi!! Fight it!! Hang on!! You can beat this!!!" Van shouted, his voice growing desperate.

"…..I'm scared, Van!….*cough*…..I can't see…too much……darkness…*cough**cough*……," Hitomi struggled as the last of her strength began to leave her. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"No!! Hitomi!! Don't leave me, Hitomi!!" Van screamed as tears welled up in his eyes.

"…….I'm sorry, Van……*cough*……...I'm sorry…I can't fight it….it's too strong….I can't……………," she whispered, then she fainted.

"Hitomi!!" Van shouted. "No!! Not like this!! I can't lose her!!! Hitomi!!!………Hitomi. Please, Hitomi….come back to me…" A single tear rolled down his cheek as he laid her on the ground. He slowly stood then turned to face the remaining shadow creature. 

'You will pay for what you have done to her,' he thought as he drew his sword.

'I will make you pay, or I will die trying. Mark my words.'

He raised his sword, then he charged. 

AN: Sorry, that's all for now. I'm suffering from a minor case of writer's block, so this is a really short chapter. Don't worry, I'll make the 9th chapter extra long and I'll try to have it up in a few days, k? 

**BTW, Hitomi is NOT dead, although Van thinks she is. She's just in one of those weird trances like when she's having a vision.**** **Sorry for the confusion. 

Also, thanx again to all the people who reviewed. I really appreciate it.

Merle

vanz_cat@yahoo.com


	9. The Flight

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 9

AN: In case you didn't see the author's note at the end of the last chapter (I added it on later), **Hitomi is not dead**. I repeat, **Hitomi is NOT dead**.…………..N E wayz, sorry for the long wait! Here's chapter 9! I made it extra long!! Hope you like!! 

~~~

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne.

~~~

'I will make you pay, or I will die trying. Mark my words.'

He raised his sword, then he charged. 

"Yahhhhhhhhh!!!!!" 

Van ran right through Mokoi and turned around slowly. It was as if the creature were made of nothing but a black mist. The place where Van hit it swirled slowly, then fused back together. It was like trying to stab smoke. 

Mokoi laughed wickedly. "Foolish human. Your mere sword cannot harm me!"

"We'll see about that!" yelled Van as he charged forward again.

~~~

"W-where am I?" said Hitomi shakily as she stood up. She looked around, but couldn't see anything. It was too dark. 'Wait a sec, it's not darkness, it's just black. Black that seems to go on forever…' 

She heard a noise behind her and spun around.

"So, the little girl is finally awake…" Skadi chuckled evilly. 

"Where am I?" Hitomi demanded, sounding much braver than she felt.

"You don't recognize this place?" the shadow-bird mocked.

Hitomi was silent. As a matter of fact, this place did seem vaguely familiar to her…

"Yes, yes…you have been here before…a long time ago. As I understand, you're heart stopped last time you were here. That time I believe it was a doppleganger that brought you." He grinned (if you could even call it a grin…after all, he's only a giant bird-shaped shadow with eyes…) at the look of shock on her face at his words.

"H-how did you…What are you?! Where am I??"

"It doesn't really matter, you'll be dead soon enough…," said Skadi as he took a step toward her.

Hitomi was frozen with fear.

~~~

Van began to charge at Mokoi again but suddenly found himself being held back.

"Let me go Merle! Stay out of this!!"

"No! No, Van-sama!! I won't let you die, too!!" Merle screamed through tears.

"Merle…..let……me……go!" Van said, trying to struggle out of the cat-girl's death grip (Yes, "death grip"…years and years of glomping experience _does_ pay off in the end =Þ), but all the while, never breaking eye contact with Mokoi.

"Calm down, Van-sama!! Even if you do stand a chance, there's no way you're gonna win when you're so angry!! Please!!!" 

"Calm down? Calm down?! THEY KILLED HITOMI!!"

"No! They didn't!!" said Tiger, who had snuck over to Hitomi's side in the midst of all the action. "She's still alive, but just barely. Her pulse is extremely weak…She might be alive, but not for long…"

The news hit Van like a bus. "She's a-alive??" Dazed, he slowly walked toward her, Merle releasing her grip and staying back. 'I can't believe it! She's alive!' Van thought as he began to rush toward her.

But he never made it. Mokoi had shot a ball of energy at Van and sent him flying through the trees.

"Van-sama!!"

~~~

Hitomi froze. Skadi glided slowly toward her. 'I'm going to die,' she thought. 'This is it. This is the end……'

Suddenly, a vision flashed before her eyes…Van…getting hit by the ball of energy…flying into the bushes…hitting his back on the trunk of a large tree…slumping over unconscious as a shadow creature advanced toward him…

'No! I have to help him!!' 

"Van!!" Hitomi screamed and her pendant glow, brighter than ever before, the light penetrating every corner of the dark realm she was in.

"No!! What is that light!! Aaugghhh!! My eyes!!!" Skadi screamed as the pink light engulfed him, causing his shadowy form to evaporate leaving nothing but a small wisp of smoke and a foul smell.

Hitomi looked disbelievingly at the place where Skadi had just been, coughing weakly as the foul smell filled the air. 'Oh, I just want to be out of here…right now! Van's in trouble!'

And with that, the pink light shown once more and she was lifted out of that dark place and brought back to where she was needed in the real world.

~~~

Merle ran over to Van, shaking him, urging him to wake up as Mokoi slowly advanced towards them. "Van-sama!! Please wake up!! Hurry, please!!! PLEASE, Van-sama!!! Wake up!!!!!!!!"

Hitomi's eyes snapped open and Tiger just about jumped out of his fur. "H-Hitomi! You're awake!…You're _alive_!!!"

Tiger didn't get to say anymore because he was interrupted by Merle scream. 

Mokoi was now just a few feet away from Merle and Van. Merle had given up on trying to wake Van up and was now curled up in a ball quivering beside a bush. She didn't realize that her scream just then had brought Van back into consciousness. But it wouldn't matter because there was no way that Van would be able to get up before Mokoi reached them. And Hitomi realized that.

"Van!!!! No!!!" She screamed as she ran towards him.

Mokoi's shadow form took shape and the bird's wings he had previously had now became wolf-life paws. He raised on enormous paw to slash Van with, but just as it was about to connect with it's target, Hitomi jumped in front of Van and took the blow. She skidded across the ground with a yelp of pain.

"Huh? Hitomi?? Hitomi!!" Van yelled, just fully regaining consciousness.

'Oh, no! Hitomi got hurt because of me! I have to distract this guy…lure him elsewhere…away from Hitomi…'

"Merle! Tiger! Take care of Hitomi! I'll deal with this guy!" Van said as he spread his wings and began to make his way through the trees toward the open sky, Mokoi taking off after him.

"No!! Van-sama!!" Merle shouted, but Van was already gone. 

~~~

After what seemed like forever, Van broke through the highest branches and soared out into the open sky, sustaining only a few cuts and bruises from his hazardous takeoff. However, he didn't have much time to relax as Mokoi was almost directly behind him.

He veered to the right as Mokoi fired arrows of energy at him. Mokoi threw another one, then another one. Van's mind raced, trying to keep track of what was flying towards him. Left, right, left again, dive…Mokoi's assault continued relentlessly. Right, up, left, up, right…Van was starting to get dizzy. An arrow grazed his shoulder. 'I have to find a way to beat him…I can't keep this up forever!! But what is his weakness? ….of course!! He's a shadow, so he can't go into bright lights! Why didn't I think of that before?!' 

Van swerved and began flying straight upwards, Mokoi in hot pursuit. 

'C'mon! Faster!…Faster!!' Van thought to himself as he flew, Mokoi gaining rapidly.

"I must say, you being a draconian was quite a surprise, but it doesn't really matter in the end, now does it? You're still going to die. I'm gaining on you…how long do you think you can keep that pace up? At this rate I'll catch you in a matter of minutes…awww….too bad, I was hoping our little game could last a little longer…" Mokoi taunted just before firing another round of arrows at Van.

Van was able to dodge most of them, but one of them scraped his left wing. He faltered, only for a second, but that was still enough to allow Mokoi to gain another 10 feet.

"Aww….did I hit youuuu?" Mokoi teased.

Van ignored him. He was almost there. He was almost above the clouds. Just another 20 feet or so.

But Mokoi had put on speed. He was now less than five feet behind Van…and still gaining.

15 feet to go.

Mokoi fired another round of arrows, and Van was just barely able to dodge them all.

10 feet.

"You can't run forever, you know. It's only a matter of time before I catch you…."

5 feet.

"…And there's no time like the present, right?!" Mokoi lunged at Van and caught hold of his leg, trying to drag him down.

Van beat his wings harder than ever…slowly gaining ground… 'Just a little bit more…,' he thought.

"Persistent, aren't ya? Oh, well, all the more fun when I get to watch you d……...huh…….what?"

Van broke through the clouds.

"AAAAUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Mokoi disintegrated. 

Van barely had time to catch his breath when a sudden wave of cold washed through him and chilled him to the bone. He could feel Hitomi's fear. She was in danger. He dove towards the forest below.

~~~

Merle and Tiger were unconscious on the ground. Hitomi was being held up by the neck by Erebos as he tried to choke her. 

"Nooooooooo!!!!!" Van screamed as he dove from above at Erebos, knocking him over and setting Hitomi free from his grasp. 

Erebos coughed, having had the wind knocked out of him. Van drew his sword. Erebos looked up at Van and realized he was too injured to even stand the faintest chance against the Fanelian King. But then he remembered what he held in the palm of his hand.

Erebos slowly stood and recited a spell under his breath. 

Van raised his sword up to Erebos's throat. "Give me a reason not to kill you right now."

"Oh, Van, don't be silly!" Erebos laughed. "You couldn't kill me now even if you wanted to! Don't you get it? Now I have everything I need to turn Gaia to total darkness. Then I and I alone will reign supreme. You couldn't possibly stand a chance against me…now that I have the legendary Heart Stone," Erebos said coldly as he held up Hitomi's pendant for Van to see.

"Why, you…"

Van lashed out at Erebos with his sword, but hit only air as the image of Erebos faded away.

"Good bye Van…," came Erebos's voice from nowhere. "I hope we meet again. I would be so horribly disappointed if I didn't get the privilege of killing you myself……"

AN: What do you think? Was it worth the wait? Please, Review!

Thanx, 

Merle

[vanz_cat@yahoo.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:vanz_cat@yahoo.com



	10. The Legend

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 10

Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne

~~~

Van watched as Erebos's form faded and disappeared. He stared at the place where Erebos had been for a few seconds, but was brought back into reality when he heard coughing behind him. He blinked, and then turned around.

"Hitomi!!" he said, running over to her side. "Hitomi, are you okay? I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you, Hitomi…Oh, please be okay!!!"

Hitomi coughed again, then looked up at him. "I'll be fine, Van, don't worry. It's not your fault. C'mon, let's go check on the others. I think they might be hurt pretty badly…," Hitomi finished with a worried expression as she slowly stood to walk toward the other side of the clearing where Merle and Tiger lay unconscious, trying desperately to keep the pain she felt from showing on her face.

But Van saw through her act. "Hitomi, you're hurt!!"

"It's nothing, Van! I'll be fine! It's the others we have to worry a--," Hitomi gasped in pain and clutched her side, unable to finish her sentence.

"Hitomi!!!" Van caught her before she fell.

"I think I might have broken a rib…" She grimaced again.

"Don't worry, Hitomi, I'll take care of Merle and Tiger. You stay here and rest. I'll be right back!"

Hitomi could only nod weakly.

Van stood up to go check on the two cat people when he heard a rustling in the bushes to his left. He quickly turned and drew his sword.

"Is it safe?" came a frightened voice.

"Yukari?"

Slowly Yukari stood from her hiding spot in the brush. Van was about to yell at her for hiding instead of trying to help when Hitomi was in danger, but at the look on her face he knew that nothing he could possibly say would make her feel any worse than she was already feeling, so they both simply walked over to the others in silence.

~~~

"V-Van-sama……," Merle said as she began to regain consciousness. She sat up and looked around. Tiger was awake, too, and sitting over with Yukari, helping Hitomi bandage her wounds.

"Is he…is he gone, Van-sama?"

"Yes, Merle. For now at least," Van said and smiled gently, relieved that Merle was all right.

Merle nodded and looked away, the events of the past hour slowly coming back to her. Erebos appearing out of nowhere and going after Hitomi, her and Tiger fighting him desperately, unable to even penetrate the invisible barrier he had created around himself as he walked slowly toward Hitomi. Finally, her and Tiger tried biting into the barrier, but only resulted in getting electrocuted and hurled backwards. As she hit the ground the wind was knocked out of her and the last thing she saw before sinking into unconsciousness was Van tackling Erebos from above…Hitomi being thrown free of his stranglehold…and a small glint of light – the pendant!

"Van!!" Merle shouted, snapping out of her trance. "Van, did Erebos get the Heart Stone?!"

"The what?"

"The Heart Stone!! Hitomi's pendant!"

"Yes…but why did he want it so badly, anyways? What's the Heart Stone?" asked Van, obviously not aware of the seriousness of the situation, which only served to frustrate Merle even more.

"The Heart Stone!! The tear of the gods that is said to give enormous power to the one who possesses it…I couldn't believe it was Hitomi's pendant at first, either, but if it is…the legend…oh, no….," Merle said frantically, almost in hysterics.

"Whoa, Merle! Slow down!! What legend? What's this about?" asked Van.

Merle's outburst had caught the attention of Yukari, Tiger and Hitomi, who were coming over, Hitomi limping the whole way, leaning on Yukari's shoulder.

"An old man who lived in Fanelia…he told fortunes for a living…he knew all sorts of legends and folklore, too, though…I used to visit him sometimes and he told me stories…I remember a certain one about the Heart Stone…umm…I think it went something like this: **"_With the Heart Stone in his hands, the traitor shall recite the spell to plunge Gaia into eternal darkness where the creatures of the night can thrive and wreak havoc until the world we once knew is destroyed…_"**

"Well that doesn't sound very good…," Yukari said. "If that's true, we don't stand a chance!"

"Wait! There's more I think…let me see…umm…oh, yeah! **_"…But, should the traitor forget the dragon's heart, the spell shall fail and Gaia will be trapped in a crimson twilight as the war for dawn_********_rages on._****"**

"The dragon's heart?" Hitomi looked towards Van.

"Maybe, but I'm still not sure we should believe any of this…I mean, it's just a legend, right?"

"It's almost night," Tiger said, glancing at the sky. "If he's going to try some spell to trap Gaia in eternal night, I'd suppose it'd be soon…"

"If we're going to try to stop him, we'd better get going!" said Merle.

"Yeah…by dragon's heart, maybe it meant Van's will to save Gaia. We might just stand a chance, but we definitely have to hurry," said Hitomi.

"But we don't even know where he is! And without Hitomi's pendant, how are we supposed to find him?" asked Tiger.

"If I concentrate hard enough, I don't even need a pendant."

"Yes, but I'm willing to bet that where ever Erebos's hideout is, it's not within a night's walking distance." Said Tiger.

"Who says we have to walk when we can fly?" asked Van, grinning.

"Fly?!" asked Hitomi, who was totally confused. "But you can't carry all of us, Van! What are you talking about?!"

Van merely grinned knowingly, then took off into the forest.

"Van! Wait!" Said Hitomi, trying to follow, but collapsing in pain. Merle and Yukari ran to her side as Tiger glanced off into the forest in the direction Van went, his ears perking up slightly.

Suddenly a loud noise came from that direction as if quite a bit of underbrush was being flattened. Through the dim light of twilight they could barely make out the shape of a guymelef…

"Escaflowne!"

"Yep!" said Van as he jumped down from the cockpit. "After the Great War, I hid Escaflowne in these woods hoping I would never have to use it again, but I guess I'm glad it's here. C'mon, get on! We don't have much time!" Van said as he changed Escaflowne into its dragon form, then helped the others onto its back. 

"Which way?" Van asked.

Hitomi closed her eyes for a few seconds, then pointed north. "There."

"Alright, then. Let's go!"

Thanx 4 reading. PLEASE REVIEW!! ^______________^

More 2 come soon.

Merle

[Vanz_cat@yahoo.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:Vanz_cat@yahoo.com



	11. Crimson Twilight

# Kings and Traitors: Chapter 11

AN: Sorry about the long wait!! I had a serious case of writers block… T_TBut I'm back now! ^___^ *disappointed groans from the audience*-_-;;;

Okaaaaaaay…..on with the fic…..O_o

Disclaimers: I do not own Escaflowne.

~~~

Van concentrated hard on the horizon from Escaflowne's reigns, willing himself not to fall asleep. 

"Hitomi, how much farther? It's almost dusk," Van whispered to Hitomi, so as not to wake their two sleeping cat companions.

"Not far…I'm sure of it," Hitomi replied. She looked west at the sunset, the beauty of it lost to her as she realized what it implied. (AN: Would she really look _west _at a sunset? Where does the sun set on Gaia? O_o)

Hitomi snapped herself out of her depression and looked over at the additional member of their party. Yukari was awake and gazing blankly at the Gaian fields rushing past below them. Hitomi removed her arms from around Van's waist and went over to her friend.

"Yukari?" Hitomi said trying to get her attention, not really knowing what else to say.

"Huh? Yeah, Hitomi?" Yukari replied softly.

"I was, uh, just wondering if you were okay I guess…," Hitomi trailed off.

"Yeah. I guess," Yukari said in the same quiet tone.

"Are you sure?" asked Hitomi uncertainly. 

"Yeah. I am. Really," Yukari sighed as she knew she'd have to give her worrisome friend a better answer than that. "Part of me still believes that this is just some weird dream I guess…you know, that I'll wake up and none of this will have happened…that everyone will be okay and everything will be back to normal…but I know that's not true. It will never be 'normal'. Not after everything that's happened. Because this _is_ real. This isn't a dream. We could…we could all die tomorrow and never make it back……….but you're my best friend, Hitomi. You have been for…well, a long time…and I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I possibly can to make sure that we can both make it back alive…that _everyone_ can stay alive…even if I die trying…because then…because then if I die, I'll know that my life wasn't a waste…that I died for a reason instead of just standing there…standing there like last time…," Yukari trailed off. 

Hitomi nodded her head in understanding, then got up and went back over to Van so Yukari could be by herself.

"How'd it go?" Van whispered.

"She'll be okay."

Van nodded and turned his attention back to the distant horizon when he noticed something. It looked as if it were a large castle, old and windswept from many years gone past. 

"Is that it?" Van asked, perhaps a bit too loud as it caused Merle and Tiger to stir.

"Yes. Hurry, Van. We don't have much time."

~~~

Erebos walked slowly into the sacred stone circle. He had all the ingredients, everything was in place. Nothing could ruin his plan now. 

As he approached the alter where the mysterious blue flames of ice were burning brightly, he slowly pulled the Heart Stone out of his pocket. The blue fire reflected off its glassy surface and cast eerie shadows across the desolate room.

He placed the pendant in the center of the alter, careful to keep his hand just out of reach of the dancing flames. Then he began the spell.

_"O, imprisoned lords of darkness,_

_Fallen demons with desire only for vengeance…"_

_ _

The Heart Stone slowly began to turn pitch black.

_"Creatures of the night with blood of ice and hearts of steel,_

_I ask you to lend me your power…"_

_ _

~~~

"Oh no!!! Van-sama!! The sun!! It's setting!!!" Merle screamed.

"We're not going to make it…," whispered Tiger.

Van gritted his teeth as he pulled hard on Escaflowne's reigns, trying hard to reach the castle in time as the final rays of sunlight slowly disappeared behind the horizon..

~~~

_"…And together we shall plunge Gaia into eternal darkness_

_Where we shall roam free forever_

_And never again shall the hope for sunrise vanquish us…"_

_ _

_~~~_

_ _

Van winced as Escaflowne's wing grazed a stone turret as he circled around the castle overhead looking for an entrance. He finally found one.

'I don't have time to land…'

"Merle, Tiger! Jump!" Van shouted over his shoulder.

"What?!" screamed Merle as she watched the ground flying past beneath them at terrifying a speed.

"Just ahead!! I need you to jump, Merle!!! We might not have enough time if I land!! You two need to go on ahead of us! Go!! Now!!!!!!!"

Merle gulped then nodded. 

She grabbed Tiger's hand and they jumped.

~~~

## "…Through the purist power of the Heart Stone

_I hold in my hand…"_

_ _

~~~

Van swerved then skidded to a halt on top of the roof nearest the entrance he found and was about to jump down when the last rays of the sun abruptly disappeared.

"We're too late."

~~~

_"…BLACK MIST!"_

_ _

~~~

Merle and Tiger were quickly scrambling down the narrow ledge that laced the castle, Merle avoiding looking down at the ocean waves, a good fifty feet below them. Then Tiger, who was ahead of Merle, stopped suddenly, causing Merle to run into him.

"Ouch…what'd ya stop for…..AHHH! What is THAT?!?" Merle screamed as she looked over Tiger's shoulder towards the aforementioned castle entrance and saw some sort of strange, pitch-black mist spreading out in all directions at a rapid rate.

"C'mon, Merle! Quick!" Tiger said as he began to climb the stone wall of the castle in hopes of getting out of the mist's reach. Merle quickly followed.

Only when they reached the top did Merle look back on the ocean scenery below to see…well, nothing. Everything the mist touched turned pitch black, so the entire scene looked as though it were being viewed at midnight on an overcast night with no moon.

"We were too late…," Tiger whispered to no one.

Suddenly, Merle saw something spring up out of the darkness.

"Tiger! Over there! What's that?!" 

Merle screamed as the figure suddenly flew towards them.

"So we meet again…," it chuckled evilly.

"Mokoi!"

~~~

Erebos grinned as the dark mist began seeping from the alter.

"It worked!! Haha!!"

Suddenly the pendant shattered.

"What?!"

The blue flames turned to red and the black mist thinned so that it was almost transparent.

"W-w-what's going on?!? Did the spell fail?!?! But how?!"

~~~

Van heard a scream from near the castle entrance.

"Merle…?"

Hitomi looked to Van.

"C'mon, let's go!" he said as they took off towards where they heard the scream.

~~~

"W-what went wrong?!? …The ingredients…the Heart Stone?…wasn't it powerful enough?…of course it was! It's the tear of the gods!! But what then……..huh?!"

Suddenly Erebos sensed a presence behind him. He turned.

"Skadi?" Erebos said with a slight look of shock on his face.

"Yes, master. I have returned to you…unlike brother Mokoi who is currently attacking the trespassers without your permission…" Skadi said the last part slightly softer than the rest.

"Trespassers?" He asked, his expression hardening as the image of Van and his followers crossed his mind. "Van and the others you mean?"

"Yes, master."

"Kill them. And, should you reach him before I do, you may kill Mokoi for betraying me."

"Yes, master." Skadi nodded and left.

'Hmm,' Erebos though. 'The spell must have worked a little at least, otherwise those two could have never been brought back to life…I wonder how much of an effect it had…I guess I'll have to go and see for myself…'

Erebos faded out.

~~~

Meanwhile on the castle roof…

"Merle! Look out!" Tiger screamed as he saw Skadi coming at Merle from behind. He desperately tried to get past Mokoi to save her, but couldn't.

Suddenly, Van lunged at Merle, knocking her out of the way as a large ball of energy hit where they were just a split second before.

The energy blast caught Mokoi's attention and he turned to see Van.

"You…!" Mokoi was unable to finish his sentence because at that moment Skadi hit him from behind.

Mokoi recovered. "Skadi? I never thought you would be one to betray master Erebos!"

"No, Mokoi, you have it backwards. It is you who have betrayed the master. And now I shall kill you."

The others stepped back planning on letting the two of them kill each other. 

Van started running in the direction he came from, motioning for the others to follow.

"C'mon!" he whispered. "We can escape on Escaflowne."

But just as they had almost reached the legendary guymelef, they heard a cold voice behind them.

"And just where might you be going?" 

Van turned around slowly.

"Erebos."

The two stared at each other for a few eternal seconds, neither one making a move until Van suddenly turned and sprinted towards Escaflowne. After a moment's hesitation, the others followed. 

"You can't escape me!"

Van jumped onto Escaflowne's back (it's still in Dragon Mode) and helped the others climb up. He didn't see Erebos preparing to throw a large ball of energy at him.

(AN: _italics will be Erebos's flashback, _Regular font will be current)

"Van!!!!!!!" she screamed as she ran towards him, ignoring the flying of swords and the clashing of steel, she ran through it all, and as she ran, her pendant began to glow...

"Van!!!!!!" Hitomi screamed as she ran toward him, not noticing as Escaflowne's energist began to glow…

'No,' thought Hitomi, 'This isn't a dream. This is real. We can't die. Not here. Not now. We have to get out of this alive, otherwise Gaia doesn't stand a chance…we have to live…'

'No,' thought Hitomi, 'We can't die here…the spell didn't work, we stand a chance…we have to save Gaia…we have to live…'

The pendant glowed brighter than ever.

The energist glowed brighter than ever.

"What the…" said Erebos.

**And in a flash of light they were gone.**

** **

"The Heart Stone…," muttered Erebos as he stared at the empty space where they were only moments before. "The other half…"

~~~

…but should the traitor forget the dragon's heart, the spell shall fail and Gaia will be trapped in a Crimson Twilight as the war for dawn rages on…

_ _

That's all 4 now!! 

BTW, **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT!!!** I did a web page 4 this fic yesterday, [http://geocities.com/vanz_cat/Kings_and_Traitors.html][1] so if u want 2 check it out sometime, just 2 let u know that I will be posting chapters as I write them there so u might not have 2 wait as long…

Thanx 4 reading (And REVIEWING *****hint hint* *wink wink* *nudge nudge* =Þ)

~Merle

[vanz_cat@yahoo.com][2]

   [1]: http://geocities.com/vanz_cat/Kings_and_Traitors.html
   [2]: mailto:vanz_cat@yahoo.com



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